NS 1505 Ariadne Picture

The British Railways EM2/77-class C-C electric locomotive was introduced by Metropolitan-Vickers in 1953 to supplement Sir Nigel Gresley's LNER EM1-class electrics on the Manchester-Sheffield Woodhead Line. In 1968, they were replaced on passenger trains by Class 76 and stored in Bury, Lancashire until they were sold to Dutch Railways (Nederlandse Spoorwegen, or NS for short) in 1969. Upon their arrival in the Netherlands, the seven locomotives were repainted, renumbered, and given new headlights. As NS Class 1500, they were usually assigned to the express trains between the Hague and Cologne, Germany. In 1986, the whole class was retired, and three locomotives were preserved. BR 27000/NS 1502 Electra is on display at the National Railway Museum (York, England) as a BR locomotive. BR 27003/NS 1501 Diana is maintained by a dedicated society of Dutch railfans. BR 27001/NS 1505 Ariadne, named for the woman who helped Theseus through the Labyrinth to fight the Minotaur in Greek mythology, is on display at the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI), near the former Gorton Locomotive Works, in its Dutch livery. With an output of 2500 horsepower and top speed of 90 miles per hour, it could probably perform pretty well pulling most modern passenger trains.